European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 18, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Thursday december 18, 1986 the stars and stripes pegs 19 t shape tournament has to shape up its time for the shape basketball tournament to shape up the immature cursing fighting Finger pointing pushing shoving and tripping has got logo. The tournament is spinning out of control More anymore each year. This year for the second Lime in five years match had to be called Between the . And Italy after a Brawl on the court. It was the third fight involving an italian player in the last five years. At Issue Here is not that the italians arc troublemakers but that year after year to paraphrase a Tarrey Lon and they d rather fight instead of shoot. Hoops that is. In last week s tournament that attitude also spilled Over tothe . Team. They seemed More intent Benton Adeon antagonizing the italians by mimicking them than with winning a game. A technical committee decided to declare Friday night at the fights Between the . And Italy a Dou ble forfeit. They also kicked Nino Pela Canni out of the tournament for coming off the Bench and Starl ing the free for All. I Don t think the punishment for the two teams went far enough. Before explaining a review of what happened is necessary. Early in the game the italian reserves came goncourt to complain about a foul Call against the . A technical should have been called immediately by referees Simon Mot tart of Belgium and Peter Jorge of Germany to keep the situation under control. Neither did. Jorge should have known better. He was the referee in 1982 when the . Won 2-0 by forfeit against Italy that game was called after barely two minutes had elapsed when an italian player came off the Bench after being ejected and popped guard Shelby Brown of the . This time the officials decided they did t want to watch these two unworthy opponents make a mock Ery of the game any further. Jorge and Moltar re fused to come out of the locker room after the Sec Ond fight. The americans although not actually starting the fight were not entirely without fault. There was blatant and deliberate tripping foul by the . Against Italy in the Lane that May have had a place inthe National hockey league but had no business on a basketball court. There was also the baiting of the italians by Ben Ion Wade and John Bailey of the us. That was particularly sad. Bolh Bailey and Wade were Veter ans of the shape tournament. They knew the ital ians were particularly volatile. Other players should have been looking to Bailey and Wade As veterans to see How to handle the Situa Tion. This is what they saw instead when tripping was called against the . Iii or uni in the italian reserves and St Bailey went to the italian up so behaves bus Bena disgust Jorge finally warned Bailey to cease the immature clapping display. All the admiration one a behind the Back passing the tournament was in decor in the italian game. Tim Boivin fiasco overshadowed some Fine sportsmanship and play in the tournament. Ocl Belgium win it for once. It would have been a source of National Pride for the by Litsas the fans lovingly wooed them. They played everybody Tough falling just Short of showing up the favored italians and americans in two close losses. Lei Germany take second for once. Lord knows they played their hearts out before finally succumb ing 77-76 loan italian squad that was bigger and much More skilled. The fans applauded the Ger mans at the end of their italian game and Many came Down out of the stands to shake the German coach s hand after his charges fell just Short. His 1 3-1 zone frustrated the italian s taller front Lin throughout the game unlike any other defense in the tournament. It tugged at your heart to watch them lose. They deserved a trophy. Or let the dutch take a trophy Home. They go blown out game after game and still All out hustled right to the end of their last game. No one really knows Why except maybe they were playing this sport for the Sake of sport. They deserved some thing. Two teams that did t deserve trophies were . And Italy. They got them anyway for first and second respectively. These were grown men representing he military forces of their countries. The russian would howl if they found out two supposed allies of the North Atlantic treaty organization could t even finish a basketball game. What s going to happen if americans have los Hare a foxhole with the italians will we be Marc worried with fighting them or our enemies Ai Chelate Walt Kelly s Pogo first asked have we seen the enemy and is it us 1 am joined in this opinion by Rudolf Zoilon a freelance journalist who covered the tournament for the German Magazine. Basketball. Zoilon has been involved with playing coach ing officiating and founding basketball teams i Germany since 1956. He left the tournament a Day Early after watching the . And Italy contest erupt into a Back Alley Brawl. He did t want to Sec any More. Frankly i was disappointed Woiton said Sun Day the hosts of the tournament Musi under stand they have to do More than just feed these people and provide a place for them to sleep. The have to control them on the court or the game the control was minimal and the game did suf Fer there is no precedent for disqualifying a Tea from the tournament but something needs to be done to get this tournament Back on the court handout of the Back Alley. A double forfeit docs nothing to deter this from happening again in the future. The ill will is just going to carry Over until next year. They have to get Back to the idea of sport for sport s Sake. Do away with the childish boys will a boys attitude toward what should be unacceptable behaviour. That s just letting the inmates run the Asylum. Whatever happened to May the Best team win Are we now to the Point of May he Best bully win i had a conversation with an army sergeant from Worms Germany the morning after the tame he was worried More with emotions spilling suit of the gym in the International Community ots Hape than he was with whether the . Would win by forfeit. He said i m worried about what the players on the court did. It spills out to the fans in the bleach ers Many of them kids. From there the kids take it out of tie gym to the playgrounds at school on monday. The Finger polling cursing and fighting Stam a Over out there. Then you have a lot More problems than just a basketball game getting finished one of these years someone it going to gel us plus Der Dili Ulio John Bailey played Well. His Beshir Loroni Bunh. Seriously Hurt in one of these mindless it s going to blow up into an International incident and that Worms sergeant will be right. There will be a lot More problems than just Fin Ishing a game. Amidst All this criticism kudos still should go out. Jerry Ouellette and his staff at the shape gym did try 10 keep things under control Given the circumstances and i hair authority. They put in Long hours and did t need the added aggravation the italian american scuffle brought to Ihm. It just made their already Long Days longer. Ouellette deserves a Chance to restore the gleam to what should be a pc Stivous tournament. To do so. As Rudi Woiton said. More authority needs to be asserted Over what s happen ing out there. Ouellette said his commander offered to bring in military commanders of the various nations a shape to help control things. Odell clue Corr cily declined the offer fearing politics would then Lake Over where sports should reign. Bui bullies have been in control of the situation for too Long now. It s Lime for the sports people running the show to clean their own House before one of these clowns bum it Down. Otherwise the politicians will want a hand in it. Finally i be come to the determination that the Best team at the tournament was the International police squad put together by Sec. Darryl Hansen. They were responsible for keeping the fans from getting on court and stooping to the asinine Levels american and italian athletes did. La was the Only thins done right Al thai game except for ending it. Heck give Hansen the most valuable player Tro Phy. After All he was the Only one who made All the right moves for hit team
